Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida-1948: Circus Acrobats Performing High on Trapeze

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1948
Decade1940s
LocationRingling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1948 Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Circus Acrobats Performing High on Trapeze — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1948, this vintage footage captures circus acrobats performing high above the ring at a Ringling Brothers show in Sarasota, Florida. The grainy, color-bleached images show performers in white costumes balancing on a trapeze platform beneath a purple and white tent ceiling. Their silhouettes are visible against the fabric as they prepare for their act, with ropes and rigging crisscrossing the frame. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 film characteristics—flicker, scratches, and faded hues—evoking a nostalgic, archival feel. This authentic home movie captures the daring spectacle of mid-century circus entertainment.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Interior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 124604777

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1948 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Ringling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

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Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1940s documentary or museum sequences needing authentic visitor-shot circus trapeze performance footage from Sarasota, Florida.
Period detail: The tent ceiling, suspended rigging, white costumes, and 8mm color home-movie look support a late-1940s circus setting described by the clip metadata.
Home-movie behavior: The high, distant framing and brief glimpses of performers suggest a spectator filming the act from below rather than a staged production view.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include silhouetted acrobats, trapeze ropes, tent fabric panels, a raised platform, circular rigging points, scratches, and faded magenta color.
Film character: The footage has soft focus, uneven exposure, flicker, dust, scratches, and color fading typical of aged 8mm home-movie material.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a short circus insert, danger-and-spectacle cutaway, or memory beat within a mid-century entertainment sequence.
Historical context: The frames show circus aerial performers working high under a tent, reflecting public entertainment and amateur filming practices of the period.
Research note: People are visible at a distance, so likeness review may be needed; copyright, venue, and performance rights should be assessed separately.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1948 8mm circus trapeze footage, Ringling Brothers Sarasota home movie, vintage aerial acrobats, and mid-century circus tent performance.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then Sarasota or 1948 circus material, then broader vintage trapeze and traveling-circus footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1948 Sarasota circus footage showing distant trapeze performers silhouetted below tent fabric and crossed rigging. — Acrobats appear as silhouettes high beneath the circus tent ceiling.

Distant circus acrobats appear on a high platform beneath purple and white tent fabric in the 1948 Sarasota footage. — Performers gather on a high platform before or during the aerial act.

Circus aerialists appear as dark suspended figures among ropes and rigging inside the Sarasota tent scene. — Suspended acrobats and rigging fill the lower half of the tent view.

A distant trapeze performer hangs inverted beneath the circus tent, with rigging and faded 8mm texture visible. — One performer hangs upside down near the trapeze rigging.

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